WildWolfay
04-24-2004, 11:44 PM
Here's Chapter 15... one of the shorter chapters (7 pages)..
If you like what u read... say so and I will start the story from the beginning... (BTW: This is nearly half-way into the story...)
(EDIT::: It looks ugly to read because the spacing is messed up since I copied from MS WORD.... sorry :( but don't let it discourage u)
15
Love Dive
Hideo’s sword was retrieved, and each member of the small company was still in good health. It was decided the morning after the lake incident that they would continue to follow the main road until it came to the city of Tak. Sadako was not familiar with the main road, but she had heard where it led, and this was enough to convince the others. Sheaths were equipped, and food was repacked. They left at sunrise and continued to follow the main road.
All throughout the day, Boris would reach back and feel along his new sheath. Kurtis and Sadako walked with their hands interlaced, and conversations were started amongst all of the fighters. The summer day was not as hot as usual, and the clouds were beginning to fill with small clouds. Seiko was constantly staring up at the sky, hoping that there would be a large rain cloud. After walking in such heat for so long, the swim they had the previous day was just not enough for him. Boris and Kurtis would argue that there would be no more swimming until they got home.
Home… Kurtis still dreaded the day. All his life he was just some normal kid, and each day was the same routine. But ever since he picked up the sword, his life has been an adventure. He did not look forward to the day when he had to return to the normal life, and lose the sword. He had yet to share these thoughts with any of his companions, but he would have to soon enough. He would especially have to talk to Sadako about it.
Nightfall came and it was time to find a place to sleep. The small company headed into the trees and found a small clearing that would serve as a good place to rest. The four sat together and stared at the crescent moon. Their worries were gone at that moment, replaced with the joy of being together. They had never taken the time to really recognize their friendship. Kurtis had just met Seiko and Boris, but they already felt like friends since childhood. Sadako had just met Kurtis less than a week ago and she had given him her heart. They all agreed that Kurtis had a way of gaining someone’s trust in a short time, and he only nodded in spite of himself. Seiko was one to trust very few, and Boris was an example to that. Had he not persisted in being Seiko’s friend, they wouldn’t be together now.
The moon became entrancing, and this put both Seiko and Boris into a soundless sleep. Kurtis was still mesmerized by Sadako, and neither could sleep. They stared at each other in silence for over an hour. Silently studying the others eyes, and searching their thoughts. Sadako ended the silence. “I love…”
He kissed her before she could finish, and she simply closed her eyes and gave into the hunter. They fell asleep in each other’s arms again that night.
Kurtis began to stir in his sleep, and Sadako abruptly awoke. She looked at Kurtis and studied him. He looked fine… Before she could finish her thoughts, Kurtis’ face began to grow wet with sweat. He started to thrash about and he was moaning. She continued to stare at him, wondering what he was thinking; wondering what was going through his brain. Suddenly his eyes shot open, and what she saw made her fall back. His eyes were a bright orange. She never broke her stare, and when he blinked they were back to green, and he was awake. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He blinked them then looked at Sadako in front of him. She was staring at him with her mouth open in shock. “What’s wrong…?”
She still didn’t move or speak. She had made not that in the sun his eyes did shine a little orange, but that was just one of the traits that she had adored about him. He moved closer to her and she still didn’t move. She continued to stare at his eyes in fear and confusion. “Kurtis…your eyes…”
Kurtis could see that she was scared. Something had frightened her, but how could it have been him. Then a thought crossed his mind, the dreams. Maybe the dreams were starting to affect him on the outside. But why would she say something about his eyes? The scar seemed to always burn in pain. He reached over and held her close. Still she made no effort to move or speak.
Tears began to streak her face, and she could not stop them. Was there something he wasn’t telling her? Was he not as perfect as she had always thought? Her thoughts ran amuck and she could not focus on one. She was scared. Scared that what she saw was not Kurtis, and that she may have to see them again. “Kurtis…”
“It’s okay. It’s okay, I’m right here love.”
“I know…” He would not release her, and she didn’t want him to. She finally wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She didn’t want him to leave her arms again; she didn’t want anything to happen to the Kurtis that she knew.
She allowed her eyes to close and she collected her thoughts. Her tears stopped, and she got control of herself. She released Kurtis and he did the same. She put her face right in front of Kurtis, and she studied his eyes once more. Kurtis still had no idea what had happened, and opted to wait until morning to find out. He finally gripped her shoulder and brought her head to rest on his shoulder. He laid back and she went with him. She decided that it would be better to get some sleep and talk in the morning, and she was quickly in a deep sleep.
Kurtis saw this and let his mind relax. He was unable to go back to sleep; he didn’t want to take the risk of something happening again. He kept both hands on Sadako and made sure she stayed close to him for the rest of the night.
The sun had begun to rise, and Kurtis could see its light over a far mountain. He was watching the sun slowly rise and come into, but this was interrupted by Sadako’s stirring. She opened her eyes slowly, and stared down at Kurtis. He studied her face, and she seemed to be a lot more relaxed and gathered now. She sat up and moved off of his chest. “Last night…”
“Yeah, we have to talk.” Kurtis stood and picked up the sheath holding the Dragon Katana. He began to walk towards the main road and she followed without speaking. He stood on the main road, waiting for her to catch up, and he equipped the sheath. She stood next to him and waited for him to start walking. He looked over to her and kissed her, then turned and began his walk. “I want to know what you saw last night Sadako.”
She walked next to him, but hung her head low and stared at the ground. “Well, you started to move around and I woke up. I looked into your eyes, and… and…”
Remembering what she saw began to bring tears to her eyes. It just wasn’t right. Kurtis looked over to her and saw that she was on the verge of crying again. “Okay. I guess I kind of have a confession. Ever since I have come to Old Japan, I’ve been having dreams. Something is coming close, and something inside of me is warning me. Each night the evil grows closer, and the dreams grow worse. My mind and body are fighting it in my sleep, holding it off.”
Sadako’s tears stopped, and she began to think about it a little more. His eyes were orange, and that’s not an evil color. Maybe that was just more of his better side coming out of him, fighting. “As I was saying, your eyes…” What Kurtis just told her made her a little more confident, and made it easier to talk about. “They were orange.”
Kurtis stopped immediately and looked at here with an odd face. “Orange?”.
She smiled at the thought. “Yeah, orange. You opened your eyes and they were bright orange. Now that I think of it, I was just surprised more than anything.”
“Sadako, you were more than surprised. What happened?”
“Like I said, I was just surprised. You looked like you were changing in some way, and I got scared.” She got hold of his hand before continuing. “I don’t want you to change, I want you the way you are.”
“Are you sure they were orange.”
“Are you saying that I’m lying?” Kurtis began to smile. “Anyways, if you could see your eyes right now you’d understand. Maybe you don’t know this but your eyes are orange right now. Watch, turn your head this way.”
She placed both of her hands on his cheeks and yanked his head to the side. “Hey…”
“There.” She positioned his face so the sun reflected in his eyes. “That’s orange.” She released her grip on his head and he looked at her with a smile. “You sure are an odd kid, and you prove me right in a different way every day Kurtis.”
“Yeah, and you remind me why I brought you with us every day.” He reached around her and brought her close.
“Just don’t change on me. And if you have another one of these dreams, you can tell me about them. It’s okay.” She rubbed her hand over his cheek, outlining the scar. “This thing sure is a turn on.”
Kurtis’ face turned red, and he quickly took hold of her hand. It was burning again, something was wrong. He was rubbing his cheek to try and dull the pain, but it was to no avail. He looked around frantically, there was something wrong. Sadako saw his face and she drew back. “What’s wrong Kurtis?”
Kurtis continued to look around, but a thought came into his head. He still had hold of her hand, and he brought it up to his cheek. He put her hand against the scar and the burning sensation was gone. “I don’t understand…” Her touching it caused that pain in the first place, or did it? It was then that his father’s words came back to memory. “Never forget who I am…”
Sadako was staring at Kurtis in disbelief. He was changing again, she didn’t understand him. “What do you mean ‘never forget who you are?’ How could I do that?”
“No, not you. It’s nothing, I think. Lets start heading back to the others.” Kurtis turned to walk but Sadako held his arm and stood rigid.
“It’s something and you will tell me Kurtis…Kurtis…” She looked up as though trying to catch a lost memory. “I never even learned your last name…”
“Collier, but that doesn’t matter. We’ll talk on the way back.” Kurtis continued to walk and Sadako followed reluctantly. “It’s hard to explain. This scar is supposed to be the connection between me and Kikuyu. It starts to burn when something is going to happen, at least that’s what is has done so far. But it also serves as a reminder.”
“Reminder? Reminder of what?”
“Of who I am. You’re also a reminder of what I am. This thing inside of me that fighting is trying to break out, but I’m holding back. You’re the cause of this. You don’t want me to change, and I won’t, for you.”
“I see. That fighter is the one that is fighting in your dreams, and it wants to fight in the real world.”
“It has before. It got a taste of the real world and it wants more.”
“When did this happen?”
Kurtis thought back to where he met Sadako. “You saw it as a matter of fact. The men that we fought at the saloon, that wasn’t me. I was different in some way. I felt changed as soon as you left my sight, and I think that’s what triggered it. I wasn’t holding back for a beautiful girl, and I had a job to do. It kind of scared me to see what I’m capable of.”
“And it scares others.” The voice came from the trees, and Kurtis turned to find Seiko standing against a tree. “I knew there was something different about you, and now I got my evidence.”
“Seiko…” Sadako held Kurtis’ hand tight. “You saw it too?”
“Last night? Yes.” Seiko left the tree and stood in front of Kurtis, examining his face. “It was the same eyes that he had when he was interrogating the fighter from Kyoto. Scary, but effective.”
Kurtis looked down in shame. “I had no control, but I liked it, or the fighter in me liked it. Ever since then I have controlled it my best, to keep it from you.” He brushed Sadako’s hair from her face. “I didn’t want you to see that part of me. The part that I had tried to keep inside of me ever since that first time, but it seems I have no control over it in my sleep.”
Seiko saw that this conversation was ended, and he turned to walk away. Kurtis and Sadako caught up to him and walked by his side. Kurtis looked over to Seiko while walking and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“I did nothing.” He replied instantly.
Sadako reached up and kissed Kurtis again. “See how good it is to get things out in the open?”
Kurtis simply grunted in response and she smiled, knowing she was right. They reached the clearing in a short time and the brute was still sleeping. It was time for them to get moving, and this meant Seiko had to wake up Boris. This was always fun, he thought to himself. He stood above the large Boris and nudged him with his foot. He didn’t even acknowledge Seiko was there. The Japanese hunter lifted his foot and slammed it down on Boris’ stomach. The man shot up, eyes wide in pain. “Why the hell can’t you wake me up like a normal person? I swear your going to kill me in my sleep one of these days.” Boris continued to mutter but Seiko had already walked off, hands still in his pockets.
Everyone fitted their armor and prepared to move out. They ate the last of their food while walking, and this meant that Seiko would have to fish that night, or so that’s what was thought. Walking was slowly growing more difficult as the terrain became rough, and they began uphill. The road ahead of them led to a mountain pass, and once they were through the walk would be simple again. It was mid-day when the mountain was right in front of them. They continued to walk, but they would soon halt for a break when they saw where the road led.
Seiko scouted ahead as the others rested, but was not gone for long. He came back and had some news that would shake them. “The road leads to a mountain pass, but it’s not that simple.”
“What do you mean?” Boris interjected.
“You hear the water?” The other’s silently listened, and they could hear the rushing of water not to far away. “That river runs right through the pass, and the only way passed is to take an alternate, higher route.”
“So what’s the problem?” Boris was getting anxious again.
“I found an upper route, but it’s a dangerous one. The path is just a walkway that’s carved into the mountainside. It only measures a foot, or maybe two feet, wide. We’ll be clinging to the side of the mountain as we dangle above a nice drop into the canyon.”
Kurtis’ didn’t like the way this path was described, but he knew they had no choice. “Well, how long is the bypass?
“It’s only a hundred feet, maybe more. It curves back into the mountain and it’s a downhill walk from there.”
Kurtis stood and waited for the other’s to join him. “We don’t have much choice, so let’s get this done as soon as possible.”
The walk began towards the upper route, and they arrived to the thinning point in less than thirty minutes. They could see the rushing water, and this began to disturb Sadako. She began shaking, and had to take hold of Kurtis’ hand in order to keep herself from falling over in fear. “Water…”
Kurtis heard her mumble and remembered what she had said at the lake. Something happened with water before, and she did not intend to touch water again. He held her close and brushed her face with his hand. “It’s okay, I’m right here.”
The sun would be going down soon, and Kurtis wanted to get pass this obstacle while the sun still shined in full force. The other’s agreed and they lined up. Seiko would go first, followed by Boris. Sadako was placed behind Boris, and Kurtis brought up the rear. He held her hand until they reached the thin section of the bypass. She released his hand and clung to the rock. Kurtis was worried that she would begin to panic, but he put trust in her.
Suddenly there was a small cracking sound. Seiko heard the cracking of rock, and stopped immediately. Boris stopped and they looked around. Sadako reached Boris and was forced to stop. She didn’t like standing on the edge, and she wanted to nudge Boris to get him going. “Keep going…” She began to beg, she was uncomfortable.
Seiko heard her plea and continued to walk, ignoring the cracking sound that he had earlier heard. Suddenly there was a louder one, and everyone heard it. Sadako heard it loudest and looked below her. The rock was beginning to give way. Seiko began running on the edge, clearing the way for the others. Boris quickly followed by Sadako was struck with fear and didn’t move. A simple shift in weight could cause the rock to fall, and she would be going down with it.
Kurtis stopped, but refused to back up. “It’s okay Sadako, just move very slowly.”
She shifted her eyes to see Kurtis, and she began to shift her weight to one foot when there was more cracking beneath her feet. Seiko and Boris waited at the end, both breathing hard and staring at the frozen Sadako. She was only twenty feet out, she was almost through. She continued to shift her weight slowly but this is all that was needed to put the rock under the final stress, and it crumpled beneath her feet. She lost her footing and she was falling.
Seiko and Boris reached out but were way too far to do anything. Kurtis saw the rock crumple and she was slipping. She was in mid air for a millisecond, but Kurtis had her in his arms. They were both airborne now, hanging above the rock-infested waters.
Sadako was screaming as the water grew closer. Kurtis couldn’t think of a way to stop the decent, and they would both go crashing into the rocks if he didn’t act. He kept one arm around Sadako and reached back for the fastened Dragon Katana. He drew it out and held it in front of him with one arm. He pulled the sword back, and with all of his human power, he threw the sword into the cliff wall that they were falling by. He held unto the swords pommel with one hand, and Sadako with the other. The sword dug into the rock but continued to grind into the rocks, only slowing their decent.
Abruptly the sword caught a root and stuck. Kurtis dangled from the sword, with Sadako still in his grip. Her lungs had given and she was no longer able to scream. Kurtis looked down at the rushing water and sighed. They were no higher than five feet above the rushing river and Sadako could feel the water splashing on her feet. She wrapped both arms around Kurtis, and refused to let go for any reason. Kurtis looked up to find Seiko and Boris high above them, looking down in amazement. Kurtis could hear Seiko yelling but he could not make out the words.
He looked down at Sadako and saw that she was crying now. Kurtis still held a hand around her waist, and his grip on the Dragon Katana was slowing loosening. He had to yell in order for her to hear him over the rushing waters below. “We have to jump! I’m sorry!”
She shook her head back and forth as hard as possible. She didn’t want to touch the water, she couldn’t. “Kurtis…”
“I’m sorry but we have too, we’ll be okay.” Kurtis looked back up to Seiko, whom was still yelling. Kurtis attempted to yell back at Seiko. “Follow the trail! Find the river and we’ll meet up!” He could only hope Seiko heard him. He looked back down to Sadako. “Get ready! Do not let go! Do not let go no matter what!” He tried to pull himself up towards the sword but didn’t get very high. He prepared himself, then, with all of his strength, pulled the sword out of the rock.
It slid out with ease and the two fell into the rushing waters. Kurtis still held the dragon Katana in one hand, and Sadako in the other.
“Kurtis!” Seiko saw Kurtis’ feet leave the ground, and he knew what he was doing immediately. He rushed to the edge of the walkway and watched as the two plummeted towards the rocks. He shook his head vigorously. “Damn you Kurtis!” He continued to watch the two fall, he could do nothing. Then he saw that Kurtis had drawn the Dragon Katana. What he saw next surprised both him and Boris. He was able to wedge the blade into the rock and stop their decent. He saw them both hanging there, nowhere to go but down into the water.
He stood and began looking around for a way to reach them, but they were just too far down. Boris still kneeled on the edge, silent and expressionless. “Kurtis… is gone…?”
“Boris shut up!” Seiko turned and nearly hit the hunk across the head. “They’ll be fine, can’t you see that?”
“How will he get up?”
Seiko looked around once more then kneeled down next to Boris. “They won’t. They are going to have to drop down.”
Boris’ face stayed expressionless. “So he’s gone, and so is Sadako.”
Seiko growled, refusing to believe it. He put his body over the edge and yelled down to Kurtis. “We’ll meet up with you down the river! We’ll meet up down the river, Kurtis!” He saw Kurtis stare up at him. Seconds later Kurtis was facing him, and he was yelling. He couldn’t make out a single word.
“He’ll meet up with us.” Boris announced then stood up.
“What?”
“That’s what he said. Trust me.” The large brute turned towards the path and began down the trail.
Seiko continued to stare down at the two that hung from the cliff side. As he was watching, he saw Kurtis pull the sword out of the rock and fall into the water. He tried to follow them but they were lost from sight almost immediately. He could only hope that he would make it down the river. He turned around to find Boris gone completely. Seiko stood and started down the trail. Boris was standing around the corner waiting for his friend to catch up.
If you like what u read... say so and I will start the story from the beginning... (BTW: This is nearly half-way into the story...)
(EDIT::: It looks ugly to read because the spacing is messed up since I copied from MS WORD.... sorry :( but don't let it discourage u)
15
Love Dive
Hideo’s sword was retrieved, and each member of the small company was still in good health. It was decided the morning after the lake incident that they would continue to follow the main road until it came to the city of Tak. Sadako was not familiar with the main road, but she had heard where it led, and this was enough to convince the others. Sheaths were equipped, and food was repacked. They left at sunrise and continued to follow the main road.
All throughout the day, Boris would reach back and feel along his new sheath. Kurtis and Sadako walked with their hands interlaced, and conversations were started amongst all of the fighters. The summer day was not as hot as usual, and the clouds were beginning to fill with small clouds. Seiko was constantly staring up at the sky, hoping that there would be a large rain cloud. After walking in such heat for so long, the swim they had the previous day was just not enough for him. Boris and Kurtis would argue that there would be no more swimming until they got home.
Home… Kurtis still dreaded the day. All his life he was just some normal kid, and each day was the same routine. But ever since he picked up the sword, his life has been an adventure. He did not look forward to the day when he had to return to the normal life, and lose the sword. He had yet to share these thoughts with any of his companions, but he would have to soon enough. He would especially have to talk to Sadako about it.
Nightfall came and it was time to find a place to sleep. The small company headed into the trees and found a small clearing that would serve as a good place to rest. The four sat together and stared at the crescent moon. Their worries were gone at that moment, replaced with the joy of being together. They had never taken the time to really recognize their friendship. Kurtis had just met Seiko and Boris, but they already felt like friends since childhood. Sadako had just met Kurtis less than a week ago and she had given him her heart. They all agreed that Kurtis had a way of gaining someone’s trust in a short time, and he only nodded in spite of himself. Seiko was one to trust very few, and Boris was an example to that. Had he not persisted in being Seiko’s friend, they wouldn’t be together now.
The moon became entrancing, and this put both Seiko and Boris into a soundless sleep. Kurtis was still mesmerized by Sadako, and neither could sleep. They stared at each other in silence for over an hour. Silently studying the others eyes, and searching their thoughts. Sadako ended the silence. “I love…”
He kissed her before she could finish, and she simply closed her eyes and gave into the hunter. They fell asleep in each other’s arms again that night.
Kurtis began to stir in his sleep, and Sadako abruptly awoke. She looked at Kurtis and studied him. He looked fine… Before she could finish her thoughts, Kurtis’ face began to grow wet with sweat. He started to thrash about and he was moaning. She continued to stare at him, wondering what he was thinking; wondering what was going through his brain. Suddenly his eyes shot open, and what she saw made her fall back. His eyes were a bright orange. She never broke her stare, and when he blinked they were back to green, and he was awake. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He blinked them then looked at Sadako in front of him. She was staring at him with her mouth open in shock. “What’s wrong…?”
She still didn’t move or speak. She had made not that in the sun his eyes did shine a little orange, but that was just one of the traits that she had adored about him. He moved closer to her and she still didn’t move. She continued to stare at his eyes in fear and confusion. “Kurtis…your eyes…”
Kurtis could see that she was scared. Something had frightened her, but how could it have been him. Then a thought crossed his mind, the dreams. Maybe the dreams were starting to affect him on the outside. But why would she say something about his eyes? The scar seemed to always burn in pain. He reached over and held her close. Still she made no effort to move or speak.
Tears began to streak her face, and she could not stop them. Was there something he wasn’t telling her? Was he not as perfect as she had always thought? Her thoughts ran amuck and she could not focus on one. She was scared. Scared that what she saw was not Kurtis, and that she may have to see them again. “Kurtis…”
“It’s okay. It’s okay, I’m right here love.”
“I know…” He would not release her, and she didn’t want him to. She finally wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She didn’t want him to leave her arms again; she didn’t want anything to happen to the Kurtis that she knew.
She allowed her eyes to close and she collected her thoughts. Her tears stopped, and she got control of herself. She released Kurtis and he did the same. She put her face right in front of Kurtis, and she studied his eyes once more. Kurtis still had no idea what had happened, and opted to wait until morning to find out. He finally gripped her shoulder and brought her head to rest on his shoulder. He laid back and she went with him. She decided that it would be better to get some sleep and talk in the morning, and she was quickly in a deep sleep.
Kurtis saw this and let his mind relax. He was unable to go back to sleep; he didn’t want to take the risk of something happening again. He kept both hands on Sadako and made sure she stayed close to him for the rest of the night.
The sun had begun to rise, and Kurtis could see its light over a far mountain. He was watching the sun slowly rise and come into, but this was interrupted by Sadako’s stirring. She opened her eyes slowly, and stared down at Kurtis. He studied her face, and she seemed to be a lot more relaxed and gathered now. She sat up and moved off of his chest. “Last night…”
“Yeah, we have to talk.” Kurtis stood and picked up the sheath holding the Dragon Katana. He began to walk towards the main road and she followed without speaking. He stood on the main road, waiting for her to catch up, and he equipped the sheath. She stood next to him and waited for him to start walking. He looked over to her and kissed her, then turned and began his walk. “I want to know what you saw last night Sadako.”
She walked next to him, but hung her head low and stared at the ground. “Well, you started to move around and I woke up. I looked into your eyes, and… and…”
Remembering what she saw began to bring tears to her eyes. It just wasn’t right. Kurtis looked over to her and saw that she was on the verge of crying again. “Okay. I guess I kind of have a confession. Ever since I have come to Old Japan, I’ve been having dreams. Something is coming close, and something inside of me is warning me. Each night the evil grows closer, and the dreams grow worse. My mind and body are fighting it in my sleep, holding it off.”
Sadako’s tears stopped, and she began to think about it a little more. His eyes were orange, and that’s not an evil color. Maybe that was just more of his better side coming out of him, fighting. “As I was saying, your eyes…” What Kurtis just told her made her a little more confident, and made it easier to talk about. “They were orange.”
Kurtis stopped immediately and looked at here with an odd face. “Orange?”.
She smiled at the thought. “Yeah, orange. You opened your eyes and they were bright orange. Now that I think of it, I was just surprised more than anything.”
“Sadako, you were more than surprised. What happened?”
“Like I said, I was just surprised. You looked like you were changing in some way, and I got scared.” She got hold of his hand before continuing. “I don’t want you to change, I want you the way you are.”
“Are you sure they were orange.”
“Are you saying that I’m lying?” Kurtis began to smile. “Anyways, if you could see your eyes right now you’d understand. Maybe you don’t know this but your eyes are orange right now. Watch, turn your head this way.”
She placed both of her hands on his cheeks and yanked his head to the side. “Hey…”
“There.” She positioned his face so the sun reflected in his eyes. “That’s orange.” She released her grip on his head and he looked at her with a smile. “You sure are an odd kid, and you prove me right in a different way every day Kurtis.”
“Yeah, and you remind me why I brought you with us every day.” He reached around her and brought her close.
“Just don’t change on me. And if you have another one of these dreams, you can tell me about them. It’s okay.” She rubbed her hand over his cheek, outlining the scar. “This thing sure is a turn on.”
Kurtis’ face turned red, and he quickly took hold of her hand. It was burning again, something was wrong. He was rubbing his cheek to try and dull the pain, but it was to no avail. He looked around frantically, there was something wrong. Sadako saw his face and she drew back. “What’s wrong Kurtis?”
Kurtis continued to look around, but a thought came into his head. He still had hold of her hand, and he brought it up to his cheek. He put her hand against the scar and the burning sensation was gone. “I don’t understand…” Her touching it caused that pain in the first place, or did it? It was then that his father’s words came back to memory. “Never forget who I am…”
Sadako was staring at Kurtis in disbelief. He was changing again, she didn’t understand him. “What do you mean ‘never forget who you are?’ How could I do that?”
“No, not you. It’s nothing, I think. Lets start heading back to the others.” Kurtis turned to walk but Sadako held his arm and stood rigid.
“It’s something and you will tell me Kurtis…Kurtis…” She looked up as though trying to catch a lost memory. “I never even learned your last name…”
“Collier, but that doesn’t matter. We’ll talk on the way back.” Kurtis continued to walk and Sadako followed reluctantly. “It’s hard to explain. This scar is supposed to be the connection between me and Kikuyu. It starts to burn when something is going to happen, at least that’s what is has done so far. But it also serves as a reminder.”
“Reminder? Reminder of what?”
“Of who I am. You’re also a reminder of what I am. This thing inside of me that fighting is trying to break out, but I’m holding back. You’re the cause of this. You don’t want me to change, and I won’t, for you.”
“I see. That fighter is the one that is fighting in your dreams, and it wants to fight in the real world.”
“It has before. It got a taste of the real world and it wants more.”
“When did this happen?”
Kurtis thought back to where he met Sadako. “You saw it as a matter of fact. The men that we fought at the saloon, that wasn’t me. I was different in some way. I felt changed as soon as you left my sight, and I think that’s what triggered it. I wasn’t holding back for a beautiful girl, and I had a job to do. It kind of scared me to see what I’m capable of.”
“And it scares others.” The voice came from the trees, and Kurtis turned to find Seiko standing against a tree. “I knew there was something different about you, and now I got my evidence.”
“Seiko…” Sadako held Kurtis’ hand tight. “You saw it too?”
“Last night? Yes.” Seiko left the tree and stood in front of Kurtis, examining his face. “It was the same eyes that he had when he was interrogating the fighter from Kyoto. Scary, but effective.”
Kurtis looked down in shame. “I had no control, but I liked it, or the fighter in me liked it. Ever since then I have controlled it my best, to keep it from you.” He brushed Sadako’s hair from her face. “I didn’t want you to see that part of me. The part that I had tried to keep inside of me ever since that first time, but it seems I have no control over it in my sleep.”
Seiko saw that this conversation was ended, and he turned to walk away. Kurtis and Sadako caught up to him and walked by his side. Kurtis looked over to Seiko while walking and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“I did nothing.” He replied instantly.
Sadako reached up and kissed Kurtis again. “See how good it is to get things out in the open?”
Kurtis simply grunted in response and she smiled, knowing she was right. They reached the clearing in a short time and the brute was still sleeping. It was time for them to get moving, and this meant Seiko had to wake up Boris. This was always fun, he thought to himself. He stood above the large Boris and nudged him with his foot. He didn’t even acknowledge Seiko was there. The Japanese hunter lifted his foot and slammed it down on Boris’ stomach. The man shot up, eyes wide in pain. “Why the hell can’t you wake me up like a normal person? I swear your going to kill me in my sleep one of these days.” Boris continued to mutter but Seiko had already walked off, hands still in his pockets.
Everyone fitted their armor and prepared to move out. They ate the last of their food while walking, and this meant that Seiko would have to fish that night, or so that’s what was thought. Walking was slowly growing more difficult as the terrain became rough, and they began uphill. The road ahead of them led to a mountain pass, and once they were through the walk would be simple again. It was mid-day when the mountain was right in front of them. They continued to walk, but they would soon halt for a break when they saw where the road led.
Seiko scouted ahead as the others rested, but was not gone for long. He came back and had some news that would shake them. “The road leads to a mountain pass, but it’s not that simple.”
“What do you mean?” Boris interjected.
“You hear the water?” The other’s silently listened, and they could hear the rushing of water not to far away. “That river runs right through the pass, and the only way passed is to take an alternate, higher route.”
“So what’s the problem?” Boris was getting anxious again.
“I found an upper route, but it’s a dangerous one. The path is just a walkway that’s carved into the mountainside. It only measures a foot, or maybe two feet, wide. We’ll be clinging to the side of the mountain as we dangle above a nice drop into the canyon.”
Kurtis’ didn’t like the way this path was described, but he knew they had no choice. “Well, how long is the bypass?
“It’s only a hundred feet, maybe more. It curves back into the mountain and it’s a downhill walk from there.”
Kurtis stood and waited for the other’s to join him. “We don’t have much choice, so let’s get this done as soon as possible.”
The walk began towards the upper route, and they arrived to the thinning point in less than thirty minutes. They could see the rushing water, and this began to disturb Sadako. She began shaking, and had to take hold of Kurtis’ hand in order to keep herself from falling over in fear. “Water…”
Kurtis heard her mumble and remembered what she had said at the lake. Something happened with water before, and she did not intend to touch water again. He held her close and brushed her face with his hand. “It’s okay, I’m right here.”
The sun would be going down soon, and Kurtis wanted to get pass this obstacle while the sun still shined in full force. The other’s agreed and they lined up. Seiko would go first, followed by Boris. Sadako was placed behind Boris, and Kurtis brought up the rear. He held her hand until they reached the thin section of the bypass. She released his hand and clung to the rock. Kurtis was worried that she would begin to panic, but he put trust in her.
Suddenly there was a small cracking sound. Seiko heard the cracking of rock, and stopped immediately. Boris stopped and they looked around. Sadako reached Boris and was forced to stop. She didn’t like standing on the edge, and she wanted to nudge Boris to get him going. “Keep going…” She began to beg, she was uncomfortable.
Seiko heard her plea and continued to walk, ignoring the cracking sound that he had earlier heard. Suddenly there was a louder one, and everyone heard it. Sadako heard it loudest and looked below her. The rock was beginning to give way. Seiko began running on the edge, clearing the way for the others. Boris quickly followed by Sadako was struck with fear and didn’t move. A simple shift in weight could cause the rock to fall, and she would be going down with it.
Kurtis stopped, but refused to back up. “It’s okay Sadako, just move very slowly.”
She shifted her eyes to see Kurtis, and she began to shift her weight to one foot when there was more cracking beneath her feet. Seiko and Boris waited at the end, both breathing hard and staring at the frozen Sadako. She was only twenty feet out, she was almost through. She continued to shift her weight slowly but this is all that was needed to put the rock under the final stress, and it crumpled beneath her feet. She lost her footing and she was falling.
Seiko and Boris reached out but were way too far to do anything. Kurtis saw the rock crumple and she was slipping. She was in mid air for a millisecond, but Kurtis had her in his arms. They were both airborne now, hanging above the rock-infested waters.
Sadako was screaming as the water grew closer. Kurtis couldn’t think of a way to stop the decent, and they would both go crashing into the rocks if he didn’t act. He kept one arm around Sadako and reached back for the fastened Dragon Katana. He drew it out and held it in front of him with one arm. He pulled the sword back, and with all of his human power, he threw the sword into the cliff wall that they were falling by. He held unto the swords pommel with one hand, and Sadako with the other. The sword dug into the rock but continued to grind into the rocks, only slowing their decent.
Abruptly the sword caught a root and stuck. Kurtis dangled from the sword, with Sadako still in his grip. Her lungs had given and she was no longer able to scream. Kurtis looked down at the rushing water and sighed. They were no higher than five feet above the rushing river and Sadako could feel the water splashing on her feet. She wrapped both arms around Kurtis, and refused to let go for any reason. Kurtis looked up to find Seiko and Boris high above them, looking down in amazement. Kurtis could hear Seiko yelling but he could not make out the words.
He looked down at Sadako and saw that she was crying now. Kurtis still held a hand around her waist, and his grip on the Dragon Katana was slowing loosening. He had to yell in order for her to hear him over the rushing waters below. “We have to jump! I’m sorry!”
She shook her head back and forth as hard as possible. She didn’t want to touch the water, she couldn’t. “Kurtis…”
“I’m sorry but we have too, we’ll be okay.” Kurtis looked back up to Seiko, whom was still yelling. Kurtis attempted to yell back at Seiko. “Follow the trail! Find the river and we’ll meet up!” He could only hope Seiko heard him. He looked back down to Sadako. “Get ready! Do not let go! Do not let go no matter what!” He tried to pull himself up towards the sword but didn’t get very high. He prepared himself, then, with all of his strength, pulled the sword out of the rock.
It slid out with ease and the two fell into the rushing waters. Kurtis still held the dragon Katana in one hand, and Sadako in the other.
“Kurtis!” Seiko saw Kurtis’ feet leave the ground, and he knew what he was doing immediately. He rushed to the edge of the walkway and watched as the two plummeted towards the rocks. He shook his head vigorously. “Damn you Kurtis!” He continued to watch the two fall, he could do nothing. Then he saw that Kurtis had drawn the Dragon Katana. What he saw next surprised both him and Boris. He was able to wedge the blade into the rock and stop their decent. He saw them both hanging there, nowhere to go but down into the water.
He stood and began looking around for a way to reach them, but they were just too far down. Boris still kneeled on the edge, silent and expressionless. “Kurtis… is gone…?”
“Boris shut up!” Seiko turned and nearly hit the hunk across the head. “They’ll be fine, can’t you see that?”
“How will he get up?”
Seiko looked around once more then kneeled down next to Boris. “They won’t. They are going to have to drop down.”
Boris’ face stayed expressionless. “So he’s gone, and so is Sadako.”
Seiko growled, refusing to believe it. He put his body over the edge and yelled down to Kurtis. “We’ll meet up with you down the river! We’ll meet up down the river, Kurtis!” He saw Kurtis stare up at him. Seconds later Kurtis was facing him, and he was yelling. He couldn’t make out a single word.
“He’ll meet up with us.” Boris announced then stood up.
“What?”
“That’s what he said. Trust me.” The large brute turned towards the path and began down the trail.
Seiko continued to stare down at the two that hung from the cliff side. As he was watching, he saw Kurtis pull the sword out of the rock and fall into the water. He tried to follow them but they were lost from sight almost immediately. He could only hope that he would make it down the river. He turned around to find Boris gone completely. Seiko stood and started down the trail. Boris was standing around the corner waiting for his friend to catch up.